#forever grateful to my friend for letting me be so involved

[theborzoiarebackintown]

I love these puppies as if they were my own litter ❤️❤️ from L-R, Swift, Vex, Riddick, Elle, and Pierre. Fate was at the bottom of the steps bothering my friend because ofc she was.

[beauspot]

Good Omens Is a Big Deal

With everything going on I haven’t acknowledged how grateful I am for what Neil (and John) did this season. I always saw Good Omens as a romantic story and everyone involved seemed to be super supportive of that. To actually see a follow through on those themes was wonderful though. To see Aziraphale continue to look at Crowley like he’s the earth, the moon, and the stars. To see Crowley continue to save his angel not because he needs them to, but because they love him.

To see them have their dinners, and give the other access to their prized possessions. To see them dance. They love each other. They are in love with each other and it’s not implied or a throwaway line that can be edited out.

It’s the beating heart at the center of the story.

And they weren’t meant to be. Neil himself will tell you when he and Terry wrote the book Aziraphale and Crowley were meant to be friends and that’s it. Over time their relationship evolved and where a lot of writers would simply ignore that and keep pushing forward Neil pivoted and said “you know what? let’s see where this goes.” The last time I can remember something like this happening was with Hannibal years ago, it’s so rare with queer pairings.

I know everyone was excited about the kiss and it is refreshing to see queer people actually get to kiss, it’s still not something that happens all the time, but that’s not what made them canonically queer to me. If they remained completely asexual and never kissed or showed interest in kissing one another I’d feel the same. While I always felt they were queer what sealed it for me were 3 things:

1. Nina and Maggie, a romantic pairing that parallel our angel and demon break down to Crowley how she and Aziraphale are partners (and it’s clear they don’t mean business partners, does Crowley look like he runs a bookshop?) but they never say what they’re really thinking. They go on to state how that’s all they needed, the obvious implication here being that Nina and Maggie shared their romantic feelings with one another and that Crowley and Aziraphale need to do the same. Upon hearing this Crowley takes that as a sign to confess his feelings.

2. Gabriel and Beelzebub, another pairing that parallels Crowley and Aziraphale who are also clearly in love with one another is something Crowley references while he is confessing his feelings. “If those two lovestruck idiots can go off together, so can we. Because I love you.”

3. Crowley and Aziraphale express plainly to each other that they need the other. Crowley says to Aziraphale he wants to stop pretending they aren’t a team, a group, a them.

Aziraphale says verbatim “We can be together.” and “I need you.” He doesn’t say “We can work together” or “I need you to help me” or some other cop out that a lot of other shows or movies might come up with to continue to bait their fans, while having plausible deniability.

They love each other and it’s not platonic.

To me, the kiss serves as a way to seal the deal for people who only understand queer love when it’s punching them in the face. That’s not to say queer people can’t like the kiss, it’s one of my favorite scenes in the show simply because of how heartbreaking it is, but they were a couple to me long before that. And to add onto that by making every other important pairing in the show queer as well? Nina and Maggie being happy sapphics who don’t die at the end. They’re not together, but the implication is that one day they will be. Two non-binary beings—Gabriel and Beelzebub—falling in love and choosing to be with one another forever. The angels and demons are all genderless and no one misgenders them and no one gives a FUCK.

That means so much to me and I genuinely cannot express how thankful I am that this show and this season were made. The only thing I can say is thank you for standing for something, because not everyone does.

[yuujispinkhair]

Angel Baby

Who would have thought that resident bad boy Sukuna would become your personal angel? -> This is part of my Blog Anniversary Event (closed). @reneeprika requested the song "Angel Baby" by Troye Sivan.

Pairing: Modern!Sukuna x Reader (female) Genre: fluff, College AU Word Count: 1k Warnings: None. Lots of fluff. I cried my eyes out writing this because it made me so emotional. Please listen to the song while reading it!! All characters are of age. My blog is 18+. Minors don't interact.

The sound of heavy rain hitting your window wakes you up in the middle of the night. You sigh and snuggle closer to the warm, muscular body next to you. Your boyfriend Sukuna, who has one strong, tattoed arm wrapped tightly around you, not letting go of you even in his sleep.

A sleepy smile wanders over your face. Sukuna and rain are a combination that will always fill your mind with fond memories.

It was a rainy night like this that brought him to you. When you ran from a party after a song started playing, that reminded you of your ex, who had just broken up with you a few days before. Your tears mixed with the rain, making you stumble half-blind into a solid chest, and two strong arms caught you before you could fall.

"Hey, easy there, princess."

His voice had sounded amused until his maroon eyes landed on your face, and he took in your tear-swollen eyes. You expected to be made fun of when you realized who you had run into. Of course, you knew Sukuna. The whole campus knew him. The bad boy with the tattoos and the smug smirk. A guy like Sukuna surely wouldn't be considerate of your feelings.

But he proved you wrong. His low voice was soft when he asked you what was wrong. His eyes were filled with worry when you muttered something about being sad because your boyfriend broke up with you. 

You thought he would leave after that. But he didn't. He took off his leather jacket and put it over your shaking shoulders. He led you to a nearby portico and sat there with you on the stairs, refusing to leave you alone, telling you that your ex was an asshole, and making you laugh softly when Sukuna offered to punch him for you.

He waited with you until your friend with the car was ready to go home, and even then, Sukuna told you to keep his jacket so you wouldn't get cold.

"Just give it back to me next time, princess."

The next time was three days later when you invited him to coffee and cupcakes at your favorite coffee shop to thank him for the jacket and the company. And that next time turned into many more times.

That was two years ago, and now you can't even remember anymore how being heartbroken feels.

Everyone warned you not to get involved with Sukuna and told you he wasn't good for a girl like you. He was the resident bad boy. Arrogant and rough, with too many tattoos and a tendency to get into trouble. Someone who was infamous for being only good for the bedroom.

But instead of scaring you away, that was actually what made you drift to him. Sukuna seemed like a good distraction. Someone who couldn't break your heart because you knew from the start he would only be a little fling. Someone you could just have sex with when you felt like it. The perfect guy for someone like you, who had given up on love.

You weren't looking for a boyfriend anymore. Love was just a lie, lots of words that didn't mean a thing, because you knew everyone would just leave again after a while. You had given up on romance, on "forever" and "happily ever after."

But things turned out very differently. And you are so incredibly grateful for it.

Falling in love with Sukuna caught you off guard. You didn't expect him to treat you so well. Although that first night in the rain should have told you, he wasn't the way people made him out to be.

Sukuna was sweet to you. He was the type to glare intimidatingly at everyone around him and flip them off, just to turn around and smile a genuine, dazzling smile at you and call you his princess and hug you so tightly to his tall, strong body that you felt safe like never before in your life.

He was reliable. Something you would have never thought when looking at him. But he always remembered everything you told him. He remembered your birthday. He remembered when and where to pick you up. He remembered all your appointments and helped you with them. He was there for you when you were anxious, when you were sad when you were overwhelmed with life.

He looked scared when he told you he loved you, just as terrified of those feelings as you were. Two people scared of love. You because you had already gotten burned by it too many times. Sukuna because he had never felt like that before, and the sheer intensity of his feelings for you terrified him.

You both spent the following months learning that love didn't have to hurt or be scary. You both fell in love with so many little things about each other. The way he smiled, the way you laughed. His secret passion for cooking, your passion for books. You spent hours counting the tattoos on his skin and tracing them with your lips. He told you his secrets, trusting you with everything he was underneath his tough shell. Trusting you with a heart that was surprisingly soft, if only for a few select people.

You feel him stir, and his strong arm automatically tightens around your waist, pulling you even closer. The warm feeling in your chest grows even more. You can't stop yourself from pressing a tender kiss to Sukuna's tattoed chest.

A soft laugh, raspy with sleep, fills the bedroom,

"Hmm, princess. Can't sleep?"

You smile as you nuzzle your face against his warm, muscular chest.

"The rain woke me up. But it's ok... I'm happy about it, actually. Do you know that rain always reminds me of you?"

He laughs softly and wraps both of his strong arms around you now, hugging you tightly to his firm, tall body.

"Yeah? Rain always reminds me of you, too. I'm glad you ran into me that night."

"Sukuna?"

You lift your head off his chest to look up at his beautiful tattoed face, smiling when his maroon eyes meet yours in the dim light of the streetlamp and the moon shining through the window. There's a lazy, sleepy smirk on his lips, his gaze unguarded, a look he only has when he's with you.

"Yes, baby?"

"You're my angel."

The smirk grows wider and turns into a laugh, even as his eyes sparkle happily,

"Didn't you mix something up, princess? Don't you mean I'm your devil?"

You shake your head, feeling a broad, happy smile spreading over your face,

"No, you are my angel. My angel baby. When I ran into you, I was at a point in life where I had given up on love. I thought true love just existed in books and movies but not in real life. But then you came into my life and showed me a kind of love I never knew before."

You feel happy tears well up in your eyes and run down your cheeks. Tears that immediately get gently wiped away by a warm, tattoed hand. And Sukuna's glittering maroon eyes gaze deeply into yours with a tender look in them that makes your chest feel incredibly full,

"And I never knew love before I met you, princess. You taught me how to fall in love and how to want to stay there. I think you are the angel out of us two."

You laugh happily as more tears spill from your eyes. You reach out to cup Sukuna's cheek, too, caressing the black lines under his eyes and on his jaw, looking at him with love written all over your face.

"I mean it, Kuna. Just because you look like a devil doesn't mean you are one."

He smiles at you, that beautiful smile that is only reserved for you, making him almost look angelic too,

"Then I'll be an angel just for you, princess."

I cried my eyes out while writing this!! Soft boyfie Sukuna hits so different for me, and this here really did things to me 😭💗 I hope it made you feel something too!!

Thank you so much for the super cute prompt!! The song is so perfect for Sukuna. I added it to my boyfie Kuna playlist too 💗💗

Please let me know what you think. Comments and reblogs would be very sweet 💗

[thatonebirdwrites]

I still plan to finish my TLOK: Shared Moments series -- especially Book 3.5 and 4 at least, but I simply cannot do the pace I did last year. I can't. My health is too poor and my heart too broken. So let's talk about it.

For this post in particular, I want to discuss how parts of the Korrasami fandom broke my heart.

I also will talk about how Supercorp fandom is helping me heal. I want to be clear here. This post is not about pitting these fandoms against each other. Both have their flaws, their beauty, their awesome people, and their mean people. I love them both. This is simply my tale of how one broke my heart and how the other helps me heal that.

I also preface that there are wonderfully beautiful people I've met in the Korrasami fandom, some who have become friends over the span of the last year and a half. The kindness and care from @snazzy-korra and the Korrasami friend I talk to on Discord has been life-saving in different ways. I'm forever grateful and highly appreciative of these people's kindness and support and for the kind readers who left kind comments.

I also wish to be clear that I have always been honest in my end-notes about the fact that I have a disability, that my health might slow me down, or I may share an anecdote about my life (my disability impacts my life heavily, but it also is not all I am) to explain why I wrote a scene the way I did. Folks seemed to appreciate learning about the inner workings of the writer's mind and the research I've done. So it's why I tend to have detailed end-notes.

So when readers, who acknowledged these end-notes and commented about my bravery at being a disabled writer, turn around and viciously attack me and pull out every single ableist argument about how the character, who became disabled in my story, is now less than?

That is fucking personal.

That is them directly telling me that they don't see disabled people like myself as their equal in dignity or respect. They don't even respect me as a person worthy of being treated with kindness. Instead, they remind me yet again of how they view disabled people as less than.

Where they wanted the disability written out of the story. They wanted erasure, and thus it felt like a stab in my heart.

Because in the end, such arguments are rooted in a fear of this simple truth:

Anyone can become disabled at any time.

Some people fear that truth. Likely because they would have to face the fact that the horrid ways they treat us disabled people could be how they end up treated if they become disabled.

So instead of fixing society and the systems harming us disabled folks, and creating instead accessible and equitable and kinder systems that help all people thrive -- they instead demand erasure. Demand that people like me cease to exist in their space. That our stories not be visible.

It went beyond a fight in comments to direct messages/asks and at least one tumblr blog directly harassing me (referencing my writing as the reason). It felt like my few places where I felt somewhat safe to share my writing had been broken into and trashed.

It's sad and heartbreaking in so many ways, because these people are refusing to see the absolutely beauty and wonder that is disabled people and our creativity.

[Yes, I know the tools that can help protect me like comment moderation, but again, the point of this post isn't about fixing my behaviors.

Because my behaviors weren't the problem. It's about a very real problem in fandoms, where AUs that involve a beloved character becoming disabled turn into an avenue to cause harm to that author. (Instead, of just not commenting and not reading it.)

If this isn't pointed out or ever talked about, then how do we learn and grow and find ways to repair the fandom to be kinder? To call out hurtful behaviors and support those harmed by it? Why should we let folks suffer in silence, when we can talk about it and better support one another? To build better habits and encourage others to build those kinder habits with us?]

Becoming disabled is not a bad thing. It doesn't have to be. We are still beautiful, wonderfully creative, and awesome people who deserve the same love, respect, care, and dignity as any non-disabled person.

Ignoring or running from the pain doesn't make it go away, as I did that and instead it ended up tainting what had been a deep love.

Acknowledging the pain and/or grief and choosing to heal is what alleviates it. The Korrasami fandom introduced me to fanfiction. I'd never written fanfiction in my life before I decided to write How Was Those Three Years to dig into how those years were like for Asami.

I'd never read so much fanfiction before either. I didn't realize the wealth of creativity and wonder that is hidden in the corridors of AO3. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I discovered this truth through Korrasami.

Writing Korrasami helped me rekindle my writing again. Even with my poor health, even when I struggle to get out of bed, even as I lost my ability to do things I used to love to do, fandom helped me re-establish my writing habits. I was writing again. The one thing I love to do the most.

At least my health hadn't taken away my writing and art. Isn't that a beautiful thing to discover? I found a way to grieve what I lost but still rejoice in what I can still do. But at the same time, I've never been more hurt and shattered by a fandom than I have daring to write an alternate universe story, where I learned that the limit of people's care ends at the moment they perceive your disability.

Where you cease to be a person in their eyes.

Where you become less than.

Thus, I truly struggled on how to move forward for months, where writing became harder and harder to do.

I didn't want to lose the joy I had found, but I didn't know how to safely heal either. And I like sharing my stories. The act of sharing them was part of how I redicovered my joy of writing again.

It was here on tumblr, where I found a niche that helped me heal.

It all started with a continuation to one of @fazedlight's ficlets, which randomly appeared on my 'for you' page.

I hadn't even finished Supergirl yet at that point, but the AU in that ficlet, where Kara decides to trust Lena and reveals she's an alien due to the alien detector? How utterly fascinating way to rewrite that scene.

I'm not even sure why I felt the need to write that continuation, but it's like my fingers had a mind of their own. I felt so inspired, and after a few months of being trapped in that well of feeling utterly broken, it was like glimpsing sunlight for the first time in months.

And I found I couldn't stop. I started to write other little ficlets based on GIFs about Supercorp. I started reading fanfiction about Supercorp. I realized Lena Luthor is really just a morally grey Asami Sato, and Kara Zor-El Danvers is basically Avatar Korra. So of course it was easy to write them. I already had practice with Korrasami.

I then went and watched the last three seasons to finally finish Supergirl, and was horrified by just how bad the writing was in 5 and 6, that now I wanted to write my own fix-it fic.

But I was scared to do it. I'd already had my heart broken by Korrasami. I already had a big project there I need to finish for my own sake, because it's so, so important to my own heart.

But at the same time, should I dare to share my stories again? Put myself out there in a different fandom?

Because I can't stress enough how I had seriously considered deleting my AO3 account due to how hurt I was over Korrasami (my two Korrasami buddies kept me from doing that, and they might not ever realize their influence there. I'd downloaded all the fics I'd written and gave myself a due date to decide.)

I was scared to share my stories, and I needed support to decide if I could do it again. If I dared to do it.

Then I discovered thanks to @luthordamnvers and @snowydragonscave a server for Supercorp shippers, and Holy shit.

It was okay to be disabled there.

People from all sorts of walks of life were there. They were supportive (and such enablers, my heavens).

I wasn't seen as less than.

People treated me like a human being.

It gave me courage to start posting the stories I'd written about Supercorp to AO3, and then holy crap.

The comments from Supercorp readers welcomed me as a new writer. They were encouraging. (Sure, there was mean comments here and there, but they weren't so horrifically personal in their attacks like the few hurtful Korrasami readers.)

I wept over those comments. Those people may never know how healing it was to read kind and encouraging comments. These people welcomed me, a stray writer into their shelter, and gently and tenderly offered support, advice, and constructive criticism in ways that uplifted the author.

Sure, it's possible I'll get viciously attacked for who I am again in the Supercorp fandom, but right now, most folks I talk with in the Supercorp fandom have been kind. Mean comments haven't been so acutely personal in their attacks, and it's a reprieve that allows space to heal.

My first love - Korrasami - will always be my first love in terms of ships. This is a truth. Supercorp is second in line, but I feel, right now, it's a little safer for my heart to write Supercorp.

I do promise to finish Shared Moments, but it will take longer simply because I'm still healing.

Parts of the Korrasami fandom broke my heart, but a good portion of the Supercorp fandom is mending it back together.

That's a beautiful thing too.

The stories I write are imperfect. I know I mess up a lot. But I do hope that people walk away from my stories having learned something. Or at the very least walk away with some semblance of hope.

Because in the end, in a world that seems hellbent on reminding marginalized people of how our lives are disposable, choosing hope becomes a radical act in liberation.

Our stories deserve to be told. Deserve to be cherished.

So in conclusion, never underestimate your kindness toward others. You may touch them in ways you may never fully know.

Thank you for all my readers, who have been supportive and kind. You're helping a broken writer heal. I will forever appreciate and treasure all of you.

Thanks for reading.

[gingerjolover]

Wait would you like to share more thoughts on the boys and their commitment styles 👀

i would be happy to pretty anon! sorry if it is jumbled or messy, as always we can discuss!

i am 1000% going to contradict myself, like yes i FULLY believe these but i am not opposed to writing/i currently have marriage-related fics in the works. I also want to write an addition to this where it's their love languages 👀

phoebe - gives me married vibes all the way. maybe it's because she was previously engaged, i just feel like she loves with every fiber of her being and i can't imagine her with someone for a long ass time and not committing herself to them like mind, body, and soul without govt documentation lol

i think way before you're engaged, you would already be maxine's mama or second parent, there's no way you wouldn't be building a home together. she strikes me as a lover who just wants to share things with you. she's involving you in the care of maxine, in decisions in the home, she's involving you in her career whether it be on the album or on a tour, she's including you in her friend groups and it just gives like chosen family/little family vibes.

again, i think she values commitment, and not in such a traditional way where she like needs to be married to feel connected but like she just loves waking up and knowing that she's your wife. IDK i could be wrong about this i just have her in my brain really valuing your relationship, but enough that if you were against marriage, she would happily be engaged forever or even just be your life partner contentedly.

lucy - i have moments where im like yes, lucy is a WIFE but other times i feel like she is so vehemently against tradition in the way that you don't need to be married for her to be committed to you. i think if you were against marriage she would be fine, If you really wanted to be married I think she would do it without a shred of doubt. I imagine a scenario where you both aren't sure but maybe there's like some perks of being married legally. like i feel like if you DID get married, it would be for like tax purposes which i know sounds so fucked but it would be so funny she would definitely lovingly call you her beneficiary, but i don't think she would do a courthouse wedding, even for legal reasons she would love a small ceremony with your family and friends and it would just be a whole vibe.

rn i think she has roommates in Philly (go birds), but as i write her often i think she also values a home base and regardless of how long you've been together, she would be building a home with you and like taking into consideration your style and interests and making you comfortable. i think apartment hunting with her would be so cute! she is such a deep thinker and i think her opening up and letting you really know her and her quirks in a way that maybe only a few others know her would be her way of committing to you. Like waking up, rolling over, and realizing that you know everything about her and love her anyways would mean more to her than a wedding ring.

julien - same with lucy, sometimes im like yup she wants to be married in a small backyard ceremony in the fall and she's wearing a beautiful suit and your guys' dog is the ring bearer and lucy and phoebe sing for you both and it's not a religious ceremony, i think it would just be all vibes, like no pressure just truly a celebration of your love and commitment to one another.

other times i think she is not going to get married but she is buying yall a house and taking you to places in the world you've always wanted to go and getting your initials tattooed on her ring finger and tattooing your name over her heart or writing a song where the title is just your name and its about unfiltered love and gratefulness. she is obviously (like all of the boys) so loving, she loves the boys so much, she has a great outlook on life now (that speech she made where she said the boys gave her her voice back had me BAWLING) and like all of them, i don't think she NEEDS to be married to show her commitment. Julien, in my mind is a very small actions everyday type of lover, like yes, the tattoos are grand gestures, but she's playing your favorite songs in the morning or washing your hair when you're tired, she's making you your favorite meal when you're sad, and she prides herself on knowing you so well that she can just kiss you in the right places and know she doesn't have to put a ring on your finger for you to know she loves you.

[a-local-idiots-shitpost]

Solomon with a Shapeshifter!Mc

this piece belongs to this and has 711 Words

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Solomon would have never expected that buying something that he thought was a cursed mirror would not only turn out to not be a mirror but would also be the person or rather creature he would fall in love with

he can´t say it wasn´t a rocky road until they got were they are now, he tried to kill them at first which didn´t work, then they tried to kill him multiple times and it never worked out and just when both were about to start a fight to the Death they found something they had in common

did it surprise him? yes but he will be forever grateful for this little common ground they had all those years ago because if not he would be lonelier and they would be well… Dead

eh not like they would have cared to this day the still say if they might die before him they would haunt him, not when he´s involved in their death or they would stay to make him feel a bit better no they just wanted to stay to eternally mess with him but if he had the chance he would probably do the same

now that he thinks about it something about their maybe was rather concerning consi-

“surprise!” the chair he sat one suddenly grew a pair of arms and constricted him, he was smiling it´s always a nice thing to see when they are feeling so playful around him not many people are willing to play games with him, actually some are but those are usually the game “how can we get ride of Solomon” and this one loses it´s fun very quickly…

they fully turned back into their normal form and slowly released him, a shame in his opinion he would have enjoyed having them hold him for a little while longer “so did you notice it was me? or were you so lost in thought to notice me literally taking the chair from under you” so that´s what happened ah he loves how crafty they can be, sometimes you think you´re stepping on the rug and then the rug is eating you “haha you got me, is it my turn now?” they shrugged and looked rather disinterested “not today, Luke asked me to help him make a cake”

“oh when are we leaving? I´m sure he would enjoy having a couple of extra helping han-” they interrupted him as soon as they could “NO! I mean… Luke said he was already feeling bad enough taking up my time and I´m sure he would feel a lot worse if you were going too” he tried to walk past them but they blocked his path, he can even swear they made themself slightly wider “oh no I already told him it would only be me and we already divided all of the tasks between each other and-” he tried to teleport behind him but they caught him and covered his mouth “he also and really emphasized on the fact that Luke doesn´t want to bother you”

“don´t be silly I always love to help out my friends” he didn´t see it but they quickly moved around while he was getting ready to leave and just as he was done and trying to get them he heard a crash and ran to the source of the noise “are you alright!? what happened?! are you still in one piece!?” he was panicking but it seemed like they were fine, their tail must have knocked something over on accident, this always happens they even destroyed their favorite mug once

“uh… was this something important?” they looked like they were waiting for the ground to swallow them whole “nothing really don´t worry, just a potion I wanted to discard” he was looking at the ground and let out a sigh “what a shame I can´t help Luke today I looked forward to finally doing something in the kitchen again, but this potion needs to be discarded as soon as possible now” he didn´t hear it but they let out a sigh of relief “would you mind going without me?” they nodded and were ready to leave “thanks Honey! I´ll be sure to make you dinner to make up for it!”

[holyandhaunted]

I will forever be grateful for the way I've been introduced to a deeper understanding of faith, christianity and God.

For me, I learned it all through companionship and community.

I grew up with religious studies in elementary school and my family went to church on christmas, sure. But I didn't really believe.

Not until I met a new friend in secondary school. Her parents were pastors and very involved in youth activities in our church. And she invited me to join them. And I did. I joined the youth group at church (as well as a "bible circle" at school later). It brought me so much joy!

We would do activities together, play, cook...and read the bible or sing hymns or just talk about what it means to have faith and what it means to let God into your life. I formed friendships and great companionship with people at the group - and with God.

I got introduced to God in loving, caring ways. I found Him in laughter and song. I was shown a God that loves all. That loves everyone and everything. And how we can celebrate Him in all the small, every day things.

I am no longer in contact with that friend but I think of her often. She took my hand and unknowingly guided me towards my path to God. Or perhaps God himself sent her to make me see. Either way, I am eternally grateful.

My first true contact with church and faith was so positive and loving. It still shapes the way I think about christianity.

For me, christianity is all about community. And God is all about love.

[snailslovesketching]

is catradora a toxic ship? my opinion that no asked for :)

TW: discussion of toxicity, abusive relationships and trauma; pls take care of yourself :)

Hey snails,

I started rewatching She-ra and the Princesses of Power for the third time recently, so suffice to say I am a big fan. The ship catradora, which is the ship name for characters Adora and Catra in case you don’t know, is honestly very important to me as a lesbian. Calling a ship from a show ‘important’ may sound dramatic to some of you, but it’s the truth. I was just coming into my identity as a lesbian when I watched the show because I heard it had good queer representation. Catra and Adora’s relationship was one of the first relationships between two queer women that I’d seen in media which was actually written by a queer person, and it meant so much to me as a baby gay. I’m not even a particularly emotional person when it comes to the media I watch, so it surprised me when I got emotional watching their love confession scene for the first time. It was and still means a lot to me that ND Stevenson and everyone behind She-ra worked so hard to get representation in the show, and I’ll forever be grateful to them for doing so.

Now that I’m watching the show for the third time, however, I’m starting to view their relationship more critically. Perhaps due to me being older and more comfortable in my queer identity, along with seeing discussions of their relationship online. It is an unfortunate truth that Catra treats Adora like shit for most of the show. She is an undoubtedly toxic person, and that brings into question whether, after everything she’s done, she deserves Adora. I’m going to provide my own opinions on this discussion and analyse whether catradora is a toxic relationship. To do so, I’m going to split this discussion into three main categories - what makes a relationship toxic? What toxic behaviours are present between Catra and Adora? And, lastly, is catradora a toxic ship overall?

Firstly, what makes a relationship toxic in the first place? In my research, I found a quotation from an article by verywellmind.com (Toxic Relationships: Signs, Types, and How to Cope (verywellmind.com) which I feel sums it up quite well: ‘A relationship is toxic when your well-being is threatened in some way - emotionally, psychologically, and even physically’. A toxic relationship will provide more negativity than positivity to your life and well-being. A person in a toxic relationship may question why they even involved themselves with that person in the first place, but simultaneously find it difficult to let go of them due to happy memories shared and the manipulation tactics employed by the toxic person to keep the other person trapped in the relationship.

Common traits of a toxic relationship are gaslighting (making someone doubt their own thoughts and experiences), victim blaming, isolating the person from their loved ones, constant arguing - and having to walk on eggshells around them as a result, controlling behaviour and generally feeling bad after being around the toxic person for an extended period of time.

So, which of these signs of a toxic relationship are present between Catra and Adora, and how persistent are they throughout the five seasons? Catra is obviously the main person perpetrating most of these behaviours. She blames Adora for abandoning her and ruining their friendship despite Adora offering to bring Catra with her. In other words, Catra guilt trips her. She acts as if Adora was in the wrong for wanting to leave the Horde despite it being very understandable why she’d do so. This isn’t just a heat-of-the-moment reaction as well, as she continues to blame Adora for ‘abandoning’ her even after being given multiple chances to join Adora. There’s the more obvious abuse that takes place while they’re enemies, with Catra insulting Adora, physically hurting and trying to murder her - just casual stuff. She also attempts to separate Adora from her friends from the very beginning - trying to isolate her to make her more vulnerable and easy to manipulate. Catra guilt trips Adora and blames her for issues Catra caused; she belittles Adora constantly; and is generally a very manipulative person, not just to Adora but to other characters such as Entrapta who she’s meant to be friends with.

Of course, there is the elephant in the room that needs to be discussed, that being Catra and Adora’s shared trauma—due to Shadow Weaver treating Adora as the golden child who can do no wrong and Catra being the one who gets the blame for every mistake pinned on her. As a result, Adora has a saviour complex and Catra is starved for affection and validation, taking much of her anger out on the ‘perfect’ Adora who always received the favour from Shadow Weaver that Catra wanted. This makes her staying with the Horde more understandable. She wanted to prove herself to Shadow Weaver and perhaps saw Adora being gone as the perfect opportunity to do so. It can also provide an explanation for some of her toxic behaviour later on in the series, as it becomes clear that Catra is simply repeating the abusive behaviour she was subjected to her by her only mother figure as a child. It should not, however, excuse this behaviour completely, because even if her actions are understandable given the circumstances it doesn’t magically make everything she did to Adora okay. She treated Adora terribly and Adora is in her full rights to not forgive Catra if she wants to. But as anyone who has watched the show knows, she does forgive Catra in the end. So one must ask… was Catra’s redemption deserved?

In my opinion, as much as this ship means to me, Catradora is indeed toxic for most of the show. I believe the way Catra’s redemption arc was handled was the main issue. She stays a consistently bad person for all four seasons, showing a lack of a moral compass from the first episode. While the show does a great job making the audience pity her by showing her trauma involving Shadow Weaver, thus giving us insight into why she acts the way she does, it doesn’t necessarily mean she deserves redemption. She doesn’t show much sign that she’ll become good and join the rebellion until season five, where the switch happens very suddenly, and then they’re confessing their love for each other even more suddenly. Personally, if my old friend had been on the opposite side of a war and attempted to kill me multiple times, just to pull a 180 and say they’d always loved me, I think I’d have a hard time believing them. 

If I were to rewrite their relationship to make a redemption arc work, I think dedicating more time to Catra’s redemption arc would be beneficial. This could create more interesting dynamics between the characters as Catra works with the rebellion and slowly gains their trust, building a healthy relationship with Adora and working through their issues, so that by the time they’re getting together they’re both at points in their lives where they’ve healed from their shared trauma and are ready for a relationship. I do acknowledge that to some extent the show did this, but I believe it needed more time to truly redeem Catra as it rushed through her arc too quickly. Making Catra less murdery would also be a good idea in my opinion, since attempting to murder your significant other is a pretty hard thing to come back from. Or Catra could at least show some remorse and regret about it - it would still be bad, don’t get me wrong, but there could be a tragic element to it if Catra felt like she was forced to hurt Adora because of their circumstances and showed a lot of angsty regret while doing so. More signs that Catra still cares for Adora would be good, like in season 1 episode 9 where Catra begrudgingly delivers the sword to Adora and tells her to leave, helping her escape the Horde. More moments like this could show Catra’s love for Adora in a very in-character way and remind the audience that these two were actually very close at one point, thus making their reunion more satisfying. Lastly, after everything Catra has done I don’t think Adora should be required to forgive her. Although, it is a show primarily for children so I understand why they did have her do so as they wanted a happy ending.

Overall, I believe catradora could have been written better. Now that I’ve done research into both sides of this argument, I understand why people argue catradora is a toxic ship and to a certain extent, I agree with them. I don’t think this ship is beyond redemption, and neither is Catra, but Catra’s redemption arc could use some rewriting to make that happen. In other words, Catra should be more like Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, rather than Azula, to who Catra is strikingly similar for most of the series. I will leave it at that. If you know, you know ;)

Thanks for reading :D

[kaitsawamura]

EAST OF MY HEART (WEST OF MY SOUL)

❄︎ summary ❄︎

Your life is one that is abundant with family and the magic in small things.  But when a great white bear comes rumbling at your family’s cottage door one winter’s night, you are obviously taken aback.  Even more so when he speaks to you in a language you can understand and asks for your help.  Come away with him, live with him in the ice castle he calls home for a year and day and release him from the curse that blights him.  You agree to go with him even if as time goes along, it is very apparent that there is more to this polar bear than meets the eye.  There is more to a lot of different things as you learn to love the polar bear as friend and companion during the day but are visited by a mysterious man who insists on sleeping in your bed every night.  Can you last a year and a day to save the bear from this strange enchantment?  Will you learn the true identity of the man you’ve come to care so deeply for?  Will you find yourself (and maybe love) along the way?

ART BY @jiyuu-zou CAN BE FOUND ❄︎ HERE ❄︎

❄︎ stats ❄︎

Pairing: Izuku Midoriya x Reader

Rating: M for MATURE, 18+ only minors do not interact

Warnings:   psychological/mental manipulation at the hands of a parent (my mommy issues are real obvious in this one folks lol), sexual assault (NOT INVOLVING SAID PARENT), murder (not described in graphic detail), other thematic elements including non-major character death, sexual content (tags to be updated per chapter for specifics), a little angst that gets resolved (a little conflict as a treat)

Tags: folktale au, royalty au, fantasy au,  beauty and the beast au if you squint, semi-multiple povs, fabricated pagan practices, cultural crossovers, a lot of this is fairy tale mechanics read at your own risk lol, enchantments, talking animals, strangers to friends to lovers, one bed trope, epic fantasy adventures 

Current Word Count: 25K

Author's Note: Look. I won't lie to you. This fic is very Reader heavy; she could probably even be seen as an OC. I have been very self-conscious and worried about that through this whole process. But this folk tale is near and dear to my heart and I knew it had to be retold in my words. Izuku most definitely fit the bill for the retelling I had floating around in my head and while a lot of times we see him interact with Reader as a talking bear, it was not difficult to let his loving and good and kind personality to shine through. I know this fic might not be for everyone but I am so honored and thrilled to have participated in this Big Bang. Thank you to everyone who has continued to encourage me while writing it. Thank you to jiyuu-zu who brought it to life in the form of art. Thank you to the readers who read and the readers who like this story. And thank you to everyone who made this project possible. It has allowed me to explore a part of my writing that to be quite honest I didn't know existed. For that, I will be forever grateful.

❄︎ links ❄︎

my big bang academia

read this fic on ao3

the original folk tale

glossary

playlist

moodboard

main masterlist

bnha masterlist

❄︎ table of contents ❄︎

prologue

east

west

south (in progress)

north (tba)

[blog-of-a-multitude-of-fandoms]

Meeting- John Laurens

Pairing: John Laurens x Hamilton!Reader

Characters: John Laurens

Warnings: N/A

Request: Wattpad- Then from new prompts a historical one for John Laurens with prompts "Let them see. It's not like we're doing anything wrong." with me being Alex's sister.

Word Count: 601

Author: Charlotte

Living with your brother and his family had its ups and downs. You loved Alexander and Eliza, along with all of their children but it did mean you were under constant supervision from one of them. You were grateful for everything Alexander had done, he had brought you into the country and gave you a life that so many people dreamed of, but it could never be the life you wanted.

There were so many expectations for a woman of status in New York, and that meant you had to follow more social rules than you could truly understand. Alexander himself, didn’t fully agree with what there was for you, but he didn’t want you to be shunned by society, so you had to behave and be who everyone thought you should be. You tried your best but sometimes you couldn’t help what happened.

Alexander did his best to keep you away from his friends, not wanting you involved with rowdy men or any discussions for war, but you didn’t see why you couldn’t be part of it just because you were a woman. Through the regular meetings and following your brother to meet his friends, you had gotten to know John Laurens, and it didn’t take long before you were meeting up with him without the others.

Of course, you never told Alexander about your meetings. Today he believed you were going for tea with a friend across town, but you were actually going to the corner of the park that had become your regular spot to see John.

Normally you could see his happiness and excitement when you first laid eyes on one another, but this time he looked solemn.

“What’s wrong?” You questioned.

“We shouldn’t be doing this anymore,” he stated.

It had been months since you started sneaking around together. You stole as many moments as you could together and exchanged letters when you were unable to meet in person. It had been unspoken, but you were both aware it couldn’t go on forever, but you had assumed things would go well, not end in flames.

“What do you mean?”

“I do not mean to hurt you, Y/N,” he said. “But I cannot keep hiding that I love you but if I told the world… no one would accept it… least of all Alexander.”

You paused for a moment. “I don’t care who accepts us, John. I do not care what my brother thinks, I only care what you think. Do you not love me?”

John took your hands in yours, pain clear across his face. He took a second, clasping your hands in his before he could say more.

“I love you more than words could say. I wish I could marry you and let the whole of New York know my heart is yours, but I do not want people to see you negatively.”

“Let them see! It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong,” you frowned.

“You are my best friend’s sister. You wouldn’t care what he thought if he knew we had been seeing each other?”

You shook your head. “Alexander will not be happy if you asked for my hand but he loves us both and he would have to accept our union, or lose us both. I love my brother, John, but I love you too. I hope you are both part of my future, but if he cannot value my happiness, then so be it.”

John raised your hand to your lips. “If you are sure, then we shall tell your brother.”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything at all.”

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

I have never loved a fictional family more than I love them 💜💙🖤💚 and trying to express just how much I love them, my mind comes out blank. Because there's not enough words in any language to explain how important these characters had become to me in the past 4 years. But more about that tomorrow.

This is the first time in my life as a fangirl that I have been this involved and invested in a fandom. First time I've made such wonderful friends in the online space, first time I've felt like I've finally belonged somewhere. So, with less than a day until the end of this beautiful journey, I just want to say, thank you.

For the laughs. The inside jokes. The screaming and plotting and crying. For the art, the gifs, the fics, every bit of creative genius this show had pulled from us. For the late hours I've spent laughing at my phone so hard my cheeks hurt and for the days a paragraph in a fic made me scream into my pillow. For taking the time reading what I've written and all the biggest and the smallest reviews left under it. For the cheers and pettiness and genius minds thinking alike. For the good days and the bad days. For everything and more.

You've made my time in this fandom so special. I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Just like our beloved family, we found each other and created something incredible. Our own little family. We stayed strong through thick and thin. And I'm sobbing as I'm writing this but I feel so so so grateful. I wish I could gather you all in one room and hug you all.

@wonderbatwayne @ambeauty @escapism-through-imagination @meetmeunderthestarrynight - my Queens. My TBS. I don't have words to fully express what your friendship means to me. I haven't met such wonderful, incredible, amazing, beautiful ladies yet irl and unless we ever by some miracle see each other face to face, I don't think I ever will. Your passion for the things you love, your dedication and hearts so full of love and fire and genius are hard to come by. I've learned so much from each one of you. Thank you for your openness, your honesty, your compassion, everything. Let's celebrate this end of an era the way only we can do 🥂

@legendsofentity thank you for sharing your love for Dick&Rach with me, for making me smile with your cute headcanons and being excited with me over the littlest things. It might seem like nothing but it means absolutely everything to me.

@undertheknightwing my writing twin 😂 the Gar to my Rachel. We've always supported each other, sometimes up close, sometimes from afar. Thank you for being one of those who let me lean on you when things got tough. I got your back and you got mine.

And a few others absolutely worth mentioning. Maybe we haven't talked that much but you've supported me and seeing you pop up in my notifications always made me smile and I cherish every single interaction. @lady-stirling @kirjavasblade @graysonfamfan2021 @koryvndr @mejacinta you guys are the best!

If I forgot someone, know that you are in my heart forever, I'm just too much of an emotional wreck right now (seriously, not a pretty view) to get it out of the depths of my mind.

Titans forever. Let's do this one last time.

[theharrowing]

thank you for 1k! 🥰🥳🎈✨

i appreciate each and every single one of you (including at least 10 of you who might be porn bots, but i can't tell?????) and i am thrilled that you are here. it took me a long time but i have finally done it lmao.

to celebrate, i am doing nothing lol. i have too much going on, and don't have time for a celebratory project that involves writing actual fics.

but, if you would like to celebrate by sending asks to my characters and getting them talking, i will encourage it. i might even let some spoiler-y stuff slip thru if i feel generous...😉

(so i lied, i am not doing nothing lmao idk.)

i don't want to tag people as thanks because i am horrified of missing someone, so just know that if we interact, then you have helped me in a big way, and i will forever be grateful!

edit: i lied again, i am going to tag one ☝ person. my beta reader @neoneunnajimin has been here since almost the beginning. she has done so much to keep me sane and productive and has helped me catch so many silly spelling errors. AND SHE IS MY IRL FRIEND TOO all thanks to this fanfic community. i love you, bitch!!!

[takiisieju]

Gold and purples on the floor: Chapter 4/8

My MK OC Stinger-centered fic, part 4. TW: violence This entire fic is Kotal Kahn negative. If he is your favorite/comfort character, consider not reading.

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

STINGER'S BIO

NAKARI'S BIO

Taglist: @roofgeese @onehornedbeast @theelderhazelnut @spacestephh @mistalintu

Nobody counted how many dead and mortally wounded they had. Nakari probably did, but he didn’t share his calculations, simply stating that they now had enough food to last one extra day. Still, they had to keep moving. They were few compared to Kotal’s nearly unlimited forces, and the attack damaged some of their supplies. Nakari was useful here again, busying himself with calculations while the soldiers searched the corpses for anything of value. As they were carrying some of such goods to the cart, Stinger saw Nakari suddenly stopping them. Stinger frowned, stepping closer.

”The figs,” Nakari said, surprised and concerned for seemingly no reason. “These figs, I know where they are from.”

“So you know who told them about us.”

Nakari gulped.

”They are from my village. We always tie them up with a red string, like… just like these ones…”

”Trying to impress the general by ratting out your own people?” One of the soldiers sneered, and Stinger saw a pang of pain in the accountant’s eyes.

”We have neither the time or the resources to attack the village,” he stated sternly. “And Nakari has little reason to be loyal to his village.”

”They did try to get me killed,” Nakari mumbled, but his shoulders remained tense, and his gaze was now averted to the ground.

”Back to your duties,” Stinger commanded, but before Nakari could obey as well, called him. “You, come with me.”

And, upon seeing Nakari’s eyes shoot up, Stinger patted him on the shoulder.

”Just a few words. I have no reason to punish you.”

In fact, he had every reason to reward his prisoner.

”Why are you not mad at me?” Nakari asked the second they stepped behind a large rock, covering them from the soldiers' eyes and ears, and corrected his bluntness immediately. “If you don’t mind me asking…”

“You’ve been fighting on our behalf. And you’ve never given me a reason to truly doubt your… obedience. But you… why did you tell me about your people’s involvement?”

”They tried to kill me, didn’t they?”

”And still, you feel guilty for telling me the truth.”

Nakari sighed.

”I feel even more guilt for what happened to your soldiers,” he said. “If you hadn't spared me, perhaps they wouldn’t tell…”

“You didn’t force their hand. The blame is theirs.”

Nakari had nothing to answer him. They stayed silent for a while. It wasn’t a comfortable silence by any means, but Stinger didn’t want to send the other man away just yet.

”They’ve always hated me, ever since I took over my father’s job. Collecting tribute. But I had never thought they would try to kill me…”

He was trying to keep his calm, but Stinger could sense both his bitterness and his hurt.

”I shall forever be grateful to you for sparing my life.”

“You shall,” he nodded. “But you were convincing.”

”Was I? I remember only how scared I was.”

He stayed silent for a few seconds again, then spoke in a hushed voice.

”I suppose I could try to please them, to rebel. But what good would it do?” He chuckled bitterly. “The Kahn would have burned the village to the ground, along with us all. Was it truly so hard to understand that I’ve… cared for them?”

Stinger had nothing to say to that. Was he a friend, he’d have the means of comforting the man. But he wasn’t Nakari’s friend. He was his master. At least for now…

”You can go. I mean…” Stinger said, clacking his mandibles. “I mean, you can be free.”

Nakari stared at him, eyes opened wide.

”What?”

”You’ve heard me. I’m letting you go. Leave if you wish, or stay as one of my soldiers.”

Nakari was looking at him as if Stinger had just grown a second head. The general sighed.

”Associating with me is a big danger. You saw it yourself. My enemies show no mercy, no matter what you were to me. Prisoner, soldier… they won’t even ask. So here you go, have your reward for saving my life. You are free to go or stay. What do you choose?”

Nakari tilted his head, his expression apologetic. There he was, about to bid Stinger goodbye. 

”I wish I could give you an answer right now. But I am used to calculating everything in my life. And besides, I am a coward,” Nakari gave him a weak smile. “I’ll have to think about this, if you’d allow me.”

And suddenly, looking at the man before him, at his black, straight-cut hair, his dark skin, his outlandish, albeit blood-stained clothes… Stinger realized how much he wanted him to stay. Dangerously, so very dangerously much. And still, he nodded slowly.

”It is an important decision, I agree. Think about it carefully, then. You have one night to make a decision, and I will consider it final.”

Nakari nodded, smiling softly.

”Thank you, general.”

Stinger couldn’t smile back, however much he wanted to. To show the anxiety-prone man before him that he wasn’t angry or annoyed. But such emotions were impossible for his monstrous face to convey, and they didn’t suit a general anyway.

”Dismissed,” he said instead, and tried to ignore a painful tug in his chest at the sight of Nakari leaving to join the soldiers, perhaps for the last time.

[pinkydude]

👋 Coming back

I talked about personal stuff a bit on my Twitter last year, but since I came back to Tumblr I feel like I should share it here too 🤏 especially since this is where it all happened and all

I'm not the type of guy to make long post (not anymore at least) but I've been thinking about it for the past days and I think that I won't be able to truly move on and enjoy my time back on Tumblr until I adress it here as well

There's A LOT of new faces around, assuming the majority of the active peeps don't know me 😳👋 (not complaining ghfhgf) so this will be a weird read, maybe? This isn't at all a "callout post", I won't name anyone or any situations in details, just -vague gesture- awknowledge things here and there, this is mainly about my experience (small TW for mention of su*cide)

I came back to Tumblr earlier this year after being away from public fandom spaces for ~a year (more or less) and I noticed that there was still "drama" (both light dramas and more serious harassment, using "drama" as a general term here) happening- and at first I didn't want to interact with any of it because it was hitting too close to home

I've been publicly harassed since mid 2021- and I know it's still happening, old dramas being digged up publicly sometimes- but the harassment back then wasn't anonym tho

Lowest point for me is when this fandom almost costed me my life, didn't know what to do, and ending up acting stupid in the middle of a panic attack- wouldn't be there if not for my close friends. That's when I realized that I needed to take a step back, to reconnect with what truly matter and to stop getting involved in things that were dragging my mental health down. Since then, I've been fully enjoying my and other's content again 😌

So when I came back and saw that the same people were still harassing (actively or passively) others? I wanted to say something, but I didn't really (left some comments, tags, sent some supportive DMs...)

Using this post to finally say- ayo, I've been there and the best advice I can say is, take a break 🤏 Take a break from the fandom when it becomes too overwhelming for X or Y reason. Small break, big break- whatever will work for you, but disconnect! Even if you think you're ok, it all pills up subconsciously (feeling burnout over Art, VP, Mods, starting to compare yourself to others, getting parano... those are all signs that you might want to back off a bit and spent time doing something else, ressource yourself!)

Also want to use this post to thanks all the people that were checking on me during that time away and to those who were still supporting my creations, it really gave me the strength to continue 🧡

Thanks also to everyone who came to "clear the air" since I came back! I know a big wave of new comers joined right as some drama was happening- and I get wanting to protect yourselves and blocking the persons mentionned in callouts! There is nothing wrong with protecting your space (don't let anyone tell you otherwise)

I met and connected with new people (something I thought would never happen again after everything) some of them I can now call good friends, and I'll forever be grateful for people who think for themselves and have their own opinions

Nothing happened, this post isn't a reply to anything/anyone or an attack or an attempt at "stirring shit up", I just needed to get it out, I guess? Needed to really close that door, and finally move on to enjoy Tumblr again. This is where I started and I still really like that place and how the fandom feels here 🤙 soyeh that's all HGFH thanks for reading